The following is
what Western Scholars have written about Prophet Muhammad (saww):
Lamartine,
Histoire de la Turquie, Paris 1854, Vol II, pp. 276-77:
"If greatness of
purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three
criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in
modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and
empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material
powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not
only armies, legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions
of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he
moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and
souls... the forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely
devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless
prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph
after death; all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm
conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was
twofold, the unit of God and the immateriality of God; the former
telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one
overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with
words.
Philosopher,
orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of
rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty
terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As
regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may
well ask, is there any man greater than he?"
Edward Gibbon
and Simon Ocklay, History of the Saracen Empire, London, 1870, p. 54:
"It is not the
propagation but the permanency of his religion that deserves our wonder,
the same pure and perfect impression which he engraved at Mecca and
Medina is preserved, after the revolutions of twelve centuries by the
Indian, the African and the Turkish proselytes of the Koran...The
Mahometans have uniformly withstood the temptation of reducing the
object of their faith and devotion to a level with the senses and
imagination of man. 'I believe in One God and Mahomet the Apostle of
God', is the simple and invariable profession of Islam. The intellectual
image of the Deity has never been degraded by any visible idol; the
honors of the prophet have never transgressed the measure of human
virtue, and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his
disciples within the bounds of reason and religion."
Bosworth Smith,
Mohammed and Mohammadanism, London 1874, p. 92:
"He was Caesar
and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope's pretensions, Caesar
without the legions of Caesar: without a standing army, without a
bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue; if ever any man
had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammed,
for he had all the power without its instruments and without its
supports."
Annie Besant,
The Life and Teachings of Muhammad, Madras 1932, p. 4:
"It is
impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the great
Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he lived, to feel
anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the great
messengers of the Supreme. And although in what I put to you I shall say
many things which may be familiar to many, yet I myself feel whenever I
re-read them, a new way of admiration, a new sense of reverence for that
mighty Arabian teacher."
W. Montgomery,
Mohammad at Mecca, Oxford 1953, p. 52:
"His readiness
to undergo persecutions for his beliefs, the high moral character of the
men who believed in him and looked up to him as leader, and the
greatness of his ultimate achievement – all argue his fundamental
integrity. To suppose Muhammad an impostor raises more problems than it
solves. Moreover, none of the great figures of history is so poorly
appreciated in the West as Muhammad."
James
A. Michener, 'Islam: The Misunderstood Religion' in Reader's Digest
(American Edition), May 1955, pp. 68-70:
"Muhammad, the
inspired man who founded Islam, was born about A.D. 570 into an Arabian
tribe that worshipped idols. Orphaned at birth, he was always
particularly solicitous of the poor and needy, the widow and the orphan,
the slave and the downtrodden. At twenty he was already a successful
businessman, and soon became director of camel caravans for a wealthy
widow. When he reached twenty-five, his employer, recognizing his merit,
proposed marriage. Even though she was fifteen years older, he married
her, and as long as she lived, remained a devoted husband.
"Like almost
every major prophet before him, Muhammad fought shy of serving as the
transmitter of God's word, sensing his own inadequacy. But the angel
commanded 'Read'. So far as we know, Muhammad was unable to read or
write, but he began to dictate those inspired words which would soon
revolutionize a large segment of the earth: "There is one God."
"In all things
Muhammad was profoundly practical. When his beloved son Ibrahim died, an
eclipse occurred, and rumors of God's personal condolence quickly arose.
Whereupon Muhammad is said to have announced, 'An eclipse is a
phenomenon of nature. It is foolish to attribute such things to the
death or birth of a human-being.'
"At Muhammad's
own death an attempt was made to deify him, but the man who was to
become his administrative successor killed the hysteria with one of the
noblest speeches in religious history: 'If there are any among you who
worshipped Muhammad, he is dead. But if it is God you worshipped, He
lives forever.'"
Michael H. Hart,
The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, New York:
Hart Publishing Company, Inc. 1978, p. 33:
"My choice of
Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may
surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the
only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious
and secular level."
As
we mark the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad (saww), we extend our deepest
sympathy and condolences to our 12th Imam, Imam al-Hujjah (AJ)
and to all the Muslims of the world.
Mulla Mujahidali
Sheriff
mulla@almahdi.org.uk